Burning Pines and Crashing Stars
by ToothPasteCanyon
Summary: Dipper chose to stay in Gravity Falls, and his sister left without breaking the Rift. Ten years later, Mabel returns to attend the funeral of her Grunkle Stan; the first time the twins have spoken to each other since that fateful summer.
1. Chapter 1

The trees swept by the bus in a green blur as Mabel watched, her hand tightly grasping a backpack sitting on the seat next to her. It was quiet but for the gentle rumbling of the engine, and she sat and thought.

It was two months ago that she had last heard from her Grunkle Stan. Going back to his old con artist life after being kicked out of the Mystery Shack was hard for the old man, but he managed to keep in contact with her pretty well. They tried to visit each other, but Stan kept changing addresses and Mr and Mrs Pines didn't want him around their house. However letters worked well enough; every time she saw one in the mail her heart jumped with joy.

Stan often said letters from Mabel were the only thing keeping him going, but she never mentioned the same was true for her.

That was why when they stopped coming, she panicked. Against the reassurances of her parents she wrote letter after letter that returned to sender, called up the police at all the addresses she knew… until she got her answer. Her terrible, terrible answer.

Stan was dead, stabbed to death in the back alley of some big city. He was _dead_ , and Mabel couldn't help thinking that if he'd just been allowed to keep the Mystery Shack…

No. No use in blame. So with a heavy heart (and an unusual feeling of swallowing her pride) she dug for her brother and great uncle's email address and told them the news.

Dipper replied, and arrangements were made for a funeral. Bus tickets were sent over, and here she was. Making that same ride she had made so long ago, from Piedmont to Gravity Falls.

That same ride, but everything was different now.

A sign caught her attention from the green blur: 'Welcome to Gravity Falls'. Mabel shook herself and straightened up, bringing the backpack onto her lap as she caught sight of a bus stop up ahead. The bus braked with a squeal, and slowly came to a stop by the sign on the side of the road. There was a man standing next to it – Dipper? No, Soos. He looked like he hadn't slept since he got the news about Stan, but gave her a big smile and a wave upon seeing her.

Mabel waved back. Then the doors opened, and she stood up. Taking a deep breath, she slung her backpack over a shoulder and walked across the aisle.

Down the stairs.

Stepping foot into Gravity Falls once again.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mabel!" Soos wrapped her in a tight hug as soon as she stepped out of the bus. Mabel returned it gladly.

"Soos! It's so great to see you again! It's been so… so… can't breathe…"

"Sorry, hambone!" He put her down and wiped his eyes. "I just can't believe it's really you!"

"I know! It's been a while. I'm sorry I haven't visited any sooner, I just..." Mabel shook her head. "Nevermind. Let's get this show on the road, right?"

"On it, hambone." Soos walked towards the bus. "I'll get your bags for you."

"No need. I've got everything in here." Mabel held up her backpack.

Soos blinked. "How do you fit all your sweaters in there? Wait, you're not wearing a sweater!"

She fiddled with a hole in her jacket. "Yeah, I've got a new style these days. But I love that W-neck you're rocking!"

"Really? That means so much coming from you, hambone. Anyway, let me go get my car. Dipper can't wait to see you again!"

Mabel nodded, and two minutes later they were driving to the ex-Mystery Shack. This was really happening.

"Uh, dude," Soos started. "I was just wondering, how much have you been talking to Dipper?"

"Until recently? I haven't… not for ten long years." Mabel smiled sadly at Soos. "I was too mad to talk to him for ages, and when I did reach out he never said anything back."

"Aww, that's too bad."

"Yeah. I guess he's got a lot going on, being Ford's apprentice and solving all the Gravity Falls mysteries. How's he doing?"

Soos shrugged. "I mean, I think the dude's doing good. We talked a little when he asked me to pick you up, but that was the first time in a while."

"I thought you guys were pterodactyl bros!"

"Yeah, but all the adventures he goes on are way too sciency for a guy like me." He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "S'okay though. I got Melanie and Wendy, and you, too!"

"Yeah." Mabel nodded. "We've got each other. We'll… we'll get through this."

"You're talking about Mr Pines, right?"

"Yeah."

A pause, then: "Can I hug you, hambone?"

"You're driving."

"I know, but… I really want a hug." He sniffed. "I just… thinking about Mr Pines, and how he's gone, like, actually gone, and…"

Mabel thought for a moment, then reached into her backpack. She drew out a sheet of stickers, peeled off one labeled 'invisible hug!' and slapped it on Soos' cheek. "Bwap! There you go!"

"You've still got stickers?"

"What kind of question is that?" She brought out several sheets, shuffled them into a neat stack and replaced them in her backpack. "Mabel's always got stickers! They sell them super cheap at my work."

"I work at Greasy's Diner."

"Nice! Do you get free pancakes? How's Lazy Susan?"

"She got hit by a bus!"

"Haha, really?"

"Yup. She's dead."

Mabel blinked. "Oh." She opened her mouth, and closed it again. "Oh."

* * *

They pulled up to the Mystery Shack after a few more minutes of driving. Well, at least the building that used to be the Mystery Shack; all traces of the cozy tourist trap had been scrubbed out and replaced with various science apparatus. 'No refund' signs had been swapped for 'keep out' signs, the totem pole had been replaced with a row of solar panels. Even the Mystery Shack logo had been taken down. It was like Stan had never lived there.

A tight feeling pressed on Mabel's chest as she looked at it, so she turned to Soos. "This is it, right?"

"This is the Mystery Shack, dude. It looks pretty normal… which is weird, right?"

Mabel glanced back at it. "Yeah, super weird."

"Okay, so I'll be going. You let me know how Dipper's doing, okay?"

"Can do, Soos!" Mabel waved as he left, and then started to walk up to the door. She stepped onto the porch (taking notice of the missing couch) and raised a hand up to knock.

"Okay," Mabel breathed. "Brother you haven't seen in ten years. Hi. Hello. This is gonna be good. Let's do this."

She knocked three times and stepped back, sheepishly holding her backpack in front of her as she waited for somebody to answer. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and then the door opened.

A man stood in front of her, tall and brown-haired. He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, with various magical-looking charms hanging off his wrists. The worn blue pinetree hat on his head left no room for doubt as to his identity.

"Dipper?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Mabel?" Various emotions flashed across Dipper's face before he settled on a nervous smile. "Uh, hey."

"Uh, hey? Is that all you're gonna say to me?" Mabel chuckled, slinging her backpack over one shoulder. "Great to see you again, you dork."

"Right. You… too." Dipper lingered in the doorway for another second before abruptly stepping to the side. "Oh, come in, come in. Don't touch anything."

If she thought the outside had changed, that was nothing compared to the inside. Lab equipment lined the hallways until only a tiny path remained from the living room, the kitchen and the stairs.

"Don't touch anything, if you can." He amended. Mabel tried her best as she made her way to the kitchen.

"You got enough nerd equipment there?" She nudged her brother, who gave an uncomfortable laugh in response. "But seriously, this is all so different! You and Great Uncle Ford have been busy… wait, where is Ford?"

Dipper tiptoed over to the fridge. "He's out on a research trip."

"Oh..." During Grunkle Stan's funeral? "So you're holed up here all on your own? That doesn't sound fun."

"I manage. Do you want something to eat?" He opened the fridge. "We've got… uh, salad? No, those are samples. I can get you some water, if you want. Sorry."

"I'm fine." Mabel frowned. "What's with the jumpiness? I'm not gonna bite, Dipper."

"Huh? I'm not being jumpy… well, maybe I am, but it's been such a long time and I was worried-"

"Don't be worried about me. I'm happy to see you!"

"Yeah…"

Mabel thought for a moment, and then she pulled up a chair. "Here, how about we do some catching up? I know you're going on sciency adventures with Ford – that's cool and all – but I've been doing some stuff too!"

"Oh yeah?" Dipper tried for a smile. "Did you get into an art college? I know you always wanted to be an artist."

"No, I… Dropped out. High school was pretty tough. It must have been cool to have Ford teach you."

"Oh..."

"But that's okay! Mabel's got a job now!"

"You have?"

"At this clothing store. They usually put me near the front because my smile is irresistible, haha!" Mabel grinned to show her point, but Dipper seemed less than impressed.

"So you're… a store greeter."

"Don't give me that look; it's fun! I get to say hello to all these strangers! Of course there's always a few shouty ones, but on the whole it's pretty good, really it is." She leaned back in the chair. "I'm saving enough money to rent an apartment, so Mom and Dad won't have to put up with me for much longer. Then I'll have my own space, so that's exciting!"

"Yeah," Dipper scratched his head. "Real… uh… yeah. So what are you gonna do after that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to college, or-"

"Nope." Mabel's smile stretched. "School is hell. Never going back."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup. Not everyone's as big of a brainiac as you, bro! I'm just dumb, haha."

"What?" Dipper frowned in concern. "You're not dumb, Mabel. You're just-"

"Smart in different ways or whatever. Sure." Mabel abruptly stood up. "So where am I sleeping?"

Dipper led his sister upstairs to the twin room. It was the first area she could actually recognise from her summer home; one bed was covered in books and pens, and the other was bare.

"I thought it'd be cool if we shared the same room, like we did in that summer." Dipper was saying as they walked in. "If you don't want to, there's always Great Uncle Ford's room, but I just thought since you're only staying for a few days-"

Mabel plonked her backpack down on the bed. "I love it!"

"You do?"

"You bet I do!" She took off her shoes and threw herself onto the sheets. "I forgot how hard these mattresses felt! It's like sleeping on a rock... amazing!"

"Phew, I'm glad you like it." Dipper sat down on the opposite bed and picked up a book, a comfortable silence settling between the two of them. It almost felt like old times, back when they were inseperable; two very different personalities with an unbreakable bond.

Then Dipper just had to break it.

"You're doing okay, aren't you?"

Mabel rolled over to face him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're not... You, uh..." Dipper closed the book, struggling to find the right words. "I mean, you were talking earlier about school, and... you're okay, right?"

"Sure I'm okay." She raised an eyebrow. "High school's over now. Maybe it'd have been easier if you'd bothered to talk to me once in a while, but it doesn't matter."

"That wasn't my fault!" Dipper snapped. "I was busy!"

"Whoa, I didn't say that!" Mabel sat up. "We both did some dumb stuff after you decided to stay with Ford. I'd say the blame is around fifty-fifty, if my math is correct."

"That's not math."

She shot a look at him. "Fine. Seventy-fifty then, with the seventy on your side."

"Wha- huh? That makes, like, zero sense!" Dipper took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry we lost contact, but I was busy. I didn't have time. Plus, it was probably for the best; we both got to grow on our own as separate people, without one of us suffocating the other."

"Suffocating?" Mabel raised her voice. "You think I'm suffocating?"

Dipper paled. "That was a poor choice of words! I don't think you're suffocating, I just think, uh..."

"Yeah, what did you mean by that?"

"I meant... um..."

Mabel crossed her arms and watched him struggle for a few seconds. Then Dipper stopped stuttering, and stood up. "I... meant something else, okay? I'm going down to the lab."

"Yeah, I can't suffocate you down there, can I!"

"That's not-! Argh, nevermind. I'll see you later." He stalked out of the room, leaving Mabel alone. Her glare softened as soon as he left.

"Suffocating." Mabel sat on her bed and put her head in her hands. "He thinks I'm suffocating."

I made sense when she thought about it. Dipper was the smart twin, the successful twin; of course he'd find her suffocating. Not that it made the actual admission any less hurtful, but still.

"You're here for Stan, Mabel." She told herself. "I'll be out of Dipper's hair as soon as the funeral's over. No point in staying."

Because without Stan and the Mystery Shack, Gravity Falls just didn't feel like a welcoming place to her anymore.

 **Edited 8/16/17**


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey Pumpkin,_

 _I got that sweater you mailed me! Things are looking up over here: I just scammed a whole load of suckers with the Stan Co Lawn Chair: guaranteed not to collapse when you sit on it! Of course it won't fold out either, but it's the middle of winter and I'll be long gone before they start testing it out. Speaking of that, I've put my new address in the envelope. Let me know if you haven't got it, we don't want a repeat of New York!_

 _How are you doing? It's been pretty quiet on your end. Has Dipper said anything to you?_

 _Love from Grunkle Stan_

Mabel smiled as she sat on her bed and read some of the old letters from Stan she'd bought. It was a pale comfort compared to actually writing to him, but since he became permanently unavailable, it would have to suffice.

 _Hey Pumpkin,_

 _They're holding you back in math? I'm sorry, that must feel terrible. Don't get too hung up on it, though; all that math stuff is useless. All I ever needed were some basic sums and I got along fine in life. You've got so many other talents, kid, you'll go far whether or not you can find x or make a graph for how many percentages are in a pie chart or whatever else they teach you._

 _Besides, I don't know if I say this enough, but you mean a lot to me. Sometimes your letters are the only thing keeping me going._

 _Grunkle Stan_

 _PS – Your folks probably would want me to tell you to do your best in Math, even if it's useless. Just two more years, and you're out! That's less time than I spent in Columbian prison!_

That was one of her favourite ones; she kept that letter under her pillow for a whole month when she first got it. It was crinkled and torn from being constantly opened, the already barely-legible writing smudged from her fingers running over them again and again and again.

Mabel gently set that one aside, and pulled out a newer one.

 _My Grunkle Stan was one of the most amazing people i have ever-_

Nope, that was not a letter. She was not in the mood to read her eulogy right now.

With a sigh, Mabel wiped her misty eyes and started putting the letters back into her bag. She felt her stomach rumble, and decided to go downstairs and snaffle a late lunch.

Mabel walked over to the door and opened it. "Dipper?" She called. "You there?"

No answer. Whether he was still in his lab or simply not speaking to her, she had a clear path to the fridge without getting caught and possibly getting into another argument. Not that she thought Dipper would be upset at the fact she needed to eat, but things between them were sticky at the moment and she didn't want to deal with it.

She sucked in her stomach as she made her way around the test tubes, but this time round something was knocked to the floor. Her heart caught in her throat as a test tube loudly smashed and the liquid inside sizzled on the wooden floor, but nobody came running and after a moment the sizzling stopped.

With the side of her shoe, Mabel swept the broken glass under a table and continued.

Once she got to the fridge, she was in for a nasty surprise: it was empty. Of course it was empty, this was her brother's house she was staying at. Her brother, who believed sleeping, washing clothes and other basic human necessities were a waste of time, who once went a whole month just eating bread and jam. Even after ten years, he was no better in that aspect.

She looked at a frying pan covered in cobwebs on a dusty stove, and was struck with a brilliant idea. Nothing brought people together more than eating food; maybe some good old pancakes would help them connect, just a little.

Cooking was one of the few things she didn't suck at, so why not give it a shot?

With this in mind Mabel turn and caught sight of some car keys sitting on a nearby table. She swiped them without a second thought and turned to head out of the door. Once outside, she located the one car sitting on the lot and unlocked it, the key sliding smoothly into the ignition.

Mabel turned it, and she was off to the grocery store. The ride was pretty uneventful, and she arrived at the store in no time. Inside, a cashier greeted her boredly and went back to texting on her phone.

Flour, eggs, milk and glitter. She made her way to the food aisle and quickly crossed three items off her mental list. At the arts and crafts area she hesitated over a ball of wool, but decided against it. She didn't have any needles, and it had already been so long since she'd last knitted something. She'd probably be horrible at it.

Flour eggs, milk and glitter in hand, Mabel made her way to the front. The cashier rang her up.

"There's your total. Cash or credit?"

Flour, eggs, milk, glitter and _money_. Whoops. She wasn't driving back empty handed, so instead she used... a different method.

"Hey, look behind you! A distraction!"

"What? I don't see a- Hey! Come back!"

"This is for a good cause!" Mabel bolted towards the car and quickly jumped in before the cashier could catch up.

"Hey, ma'am!" The cashier called as she started the engine. "Come back in and pay! I have to warn you, I'm legally allowed to put my hands on my hips and glare judgmentally at you if you don't comply!"

Mabel drove off. She broke the speed limit a few times as she tried to get back before dark, pulling up to the house just as the last few rays died out.

She was just carrying her ingredients inside when something in a window caught her attention. Mabel slowed and peeked in the room that used to be the gift shop, where she saw a desk by the now-uncovered basement stairs, and her brother writing something on it.

Spying a few beakers (and some strange floating starry substance in a snowglobe-like container _bolted_ to the table) sitting next to the papers, she assumed it was some boring science report or something. She was about to move on, when she caught sight of his face.

Her brother was sobbing his eyes out. Face blotchy red and glistening, lips drawn back, shoulder shaking _sobbing_. Tears were falling freely on the paper he was penning, the contents of which she could not make out.

She had a good idea of what it might have been, though. She probably didn't look all that different when she was writing her eulogy for Stan.

Quietly, Mabel slipped away from the window and entered through the porch door, calling out in the most casual voice she could, "Dipper, are you there?"

"Here!" There was a shaky voice from the gift shop. It hardened when the door slammed. "Were you outside?"

"You didn't have any food, so I went out and bought some!"

"Wait, what?"

"I went out and bought some!" Mabel set the bags down on the table. "It's a big day tomorrow! I call dibs on not cleaning the cobwebs out of the frying pan!"

Fast footsteps were heard as Dipper made his way to the kitchen. "But how did you get there? You didn't use my car, did you?"

"So what if I did?"

"Seriously?" Dipper appeared in the doorway, face still blotchy but features creased in a deep frown. "Mabel, I can't believe you did that."

Mabel shrugged. "Calm down, I didn't get pulled over or anything. Now, are you up for some pancakes?"

"No, I'm not! You can't just take my car out for a joyride whenever you feel like it." He eyed the pancake ingredients. "Please tell me you at least paid for those."

"What are you, a cop?"

" _Mabel_!"

Mabel held her hands up in a pacifying gesture. "Whoa, bro, message received! I won't do it again, okay? But I didn't get caught, and since they're already here, what's the harm in cooking up some delicious pancakes, huh? Huh? Come on, it'll be fun!"

Dipper took a deep breath and seemed to consider it, but in the ensuing silence a faint police siren became audible, the sound gradually growing until red and blue lights were flashing through the windows.

"Didn't get caught, huh?"

Mabel withered under her brother's glare. "Maybe they're here for an investigation? Oh, what if it's a murder! That would be so exciting… right?"

Silence.

"Come on, they can't be here because of me! There's no way that store lady could have gotten my plate number!"

"It's actually my plate number, Mabel! And my car! Seriously, did you think about that at all when you went and stole a bunch of groceries?!"

That look on his face… she'd really screwed up this time, hadn't she?

Mabel tried for an apologetic grin. "I guess… you're not up for pancakes, then?"

" _Oh, my_ \- ugh, you know what? I'm not dealing with this." Dipper turned on his heel and walked away. "I'm going to my lab. You can talk to the police about your little escapade."

"Wait, don't do that! I'm sorry!" She started after him, but then a couple hard knocks sounded at the door. Dipper disappeared, leaving Mabel to answer it.

She gulped, gripped the door handle and opened it. "Uh, hi, officers. Is that, you, Durland? Can I just say, you look great today!"


	5. Chapter 5

A knock on the elevator door. "Hey, uh, Dipper? I dunno if you can hear me, but the keypad keeps saying 'Access Denied' so I'm just going to say it here. Great news, I got you off the hook! Sheriff Durland was no problem; it's his deputy Molly who was the real brains, haha… so yeah! They even let me keep the pancake mix!"

Mabel paused. "Okay, okay, I should shut up about the pancakes. I ruined that big time… but you're gonna come up, right?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm really, really, really sorry about today. I screwed up, I know. I just hope this won't make you shut me out again."

Her words echoed unheard in the cold basement. After a moment, she straightened up. "Okay, I don't think you can hear me at all, haha. Dumb twin, see? I'll write it down, just let me find some paper."

Mabel raced upstairs, grabbed a piece of paper and pencil from Dipper's desk, and came back. "I'm… rea-lly-sor-ry. There! Make sure to get some sleep; it's a big day tomorrow and you probably don't want to be caught eating your shirt at the funeral! Well, maybe you don't anymore – a whole lot's changed since you used to do that – but it'd still be weird if you did! Anyway, goodnight!"

She slipped it under the elevator and backed away, breaking another test tube as she made for her room. Once she got there she changed into her pyjamas and turned off the light, sitting on her bed and staring at the opposite, empty one on the other side.

Mabel missed the days when she had a twin to say goodnight to. Somebody who knew her better than anyone else, who loved her, who was a little dorky but always standing right with her in all their adventures.

She missed her best friend, more keenly now than she had for a long time. A small part of her hoped that Dipper missed her, too.

With a sigh, she turned away and closed her eyes. It was a big day tomorrow, and she should get some sleep.

* * *

Mabel stirred at a knock on the door. She groaned and rolled over… right out of bed.

"Oof! What was, where am I?" She sat up, rubbing her head. "Oh, yeah. Mystery Shack."

She looked up at another knock on the door. "Hello?"

The door opened, and Dipper popped his head in. He had deep bags under his eyes, disheveled hair… and a strange smile tugging at his lips. "Hey, uh, Mabel? I was, well, I was just-" He paused. "Why are you sleeping on the floor?"

"I fell out of bed." Mabel frowned. "What's that smell? It smells… nice. And kinda burnt."

Dipper's eyes widened. "Oh, shoot. Just, gimme a second!"

He dashed away, leaving Mabel confused. That was weird, but at least he wasn't angry anymore. She decided to get up and see what on earth was going on downstairs.

Heaving herself out of her warm covers, she brushed her tangled hair back with a hand and started down the stairs, perking up at a sizzling sound coming from the kitchen. It sounded like somebody was cooking-

"Pancakes?" Mabel saw Dipper jump when she stuck her head in the room.

Dipper turned to her. "Uh, yeah! You know, since you already went to all the trouble of getting it, I thought it'd be a shame to just not eat it… right?"

Mabel grinned, brushing the sleep out of her eyes. "Really? I see somebody's changed their position this morning."

His face hardened. "Well, not if you're going to treat it like that. I thought we'd made it clear-"

"That it was a super stupid move and I won't ever do it again! I know!" She hurried to stand next to him by the stove. "I shouldn't have mentioned it. Let's just cook pancakes, okay? Forget about last night."

"Right. Let's, cook pancakes!" Dipper brought his spatula down to the sizzling pancake and attempted to flip it. "Heh… this is, this is tougher than it looks. Why is it sticking so much?"

"Did you grease the pan?"

"Grease the pan? What's that?" He frowned when Mabel let out a snort. "What's so funny?"

"Alright, let's start from the top, okay?" She scraped off the pancake – blacked on one side, raw and goopy on the other – into the trash and set it back on the stove, turning down the heat. "Plenty of time before the funeral. Time for a cooking lesson!"

Mabel then spent the next few minutes teaching her brother how to cook pancakes. He was quiet and attentive throughout the whole lesson, picking it up remarkably quickly. In no time, they had stacked a whole plate with steaming hot pancakes.

"There we go!" Mabel clapped her brother on the back, which made him jump. "I now declare you a pancake master."

He gave a nervous smile. "Yeah? You're, you're pretty good at it too."

"Cooking's fun when you get the hang of it." Mabel looked down. "But, you know, I did learn to cook pancakes from Grunkle Stan. I guess, it's kinda fitting we're making them today, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is." Dipper glanced up to see Mabel studying him. "What?"

"Nothing! Actually, you've got a bit of pancake mix on your chin, bro."

"I have? Where is it?"

"To the left… no, you've gone too far. Here, I'll get it." She reached a finger over to him, and he flinched away. "Whoa, what's with the jumpiness?"

"It's nothing! Just-"

"Hey, hey." Mabel gave him a smile. "It's okay, Dipper. It's me. I'm not gonna bite."

Dipper stopped, and looked back at her. For the first time in her visit, he seemed to relax, shoulders going down, fists unclenching, letting out a deep breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Yeah," He said as Mabel wiped the mix off his chin. "You're not gonna bite."

"Well, I am gonna bite into these delicious pancakes!" Mabel picked up the plate. "Come on, let's dig in before they get cold!"

Once they were at the table, both siblings happily delved into their share of the pancakes. Mabel found it a little strange to eat without maple syrup, but they were so sweet it hardly mattered. In a few minutes, she had cleared her plate.

"Oof! I am stuffed!" Mabel looked over to her brother's plate. "Are you gonna finish that?"

"You just said you were stuffed."

"I will never be too full for pancakes."

With a shrug, Dipper handed over his leftovers, which she happily started to devour.

"Mmm… yur a good shhef."

"Huh?"

Mabel swallowed. "You're a good chef, Dipper. Going from 'uhh, how do I grease a pan' to this? It's good."

He gave a little smile. "Eh, you were a good teacher."

"I dunno about that… but it was still fun! It's a shame we couldn't do more stuff like that while I was here."

"What do you mean?" Dipper's smile dropped, and he suddenly looked all the more… guarded. She took a few seconds to think before she responded.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is… I miss you, Dipper. Can we keep in touch?"

Dipper abruptly stood up from his seat. "You're asking me? You were the one who stopped talking to me!"

"That's what you're going to say? Why does that matter now?"

"Because… Well, it does! It's not my fault we lost contact. It's not my fault we fell out!"

Mabel groaned. "Dipper, seriously, stop doing that."

"Doing what?" He backed away. "The blame? Because you can't handle it?"

"Because it's _not relevant_! Just, cut it out for one second and tell me if you want to stay in touch or not." She glared at him. "Yes or no?"

Dipper returned the glare, and for a few seconds the kitchen was dead silent. Then: "I have to get ready for the funeral."

"That doesn't answer my-"

"And you should too!" The door slammed in Mabel's face once again. She balled her fists, took deep breaths… then grabbed a pillow sitting on the nearest chair and screamed into it.

Then she looked at the time, and headed upstairs to change into her funeral attire.


	6. Chapter 6

Black robes. Black hat. A scrap of white paper gripped in her hands. Mabel was sitting in the kitchen, hearing the footsteps of her approaching brother. He appeared in the doorway, wearing a nice suit and a gloomy expression.

Hey, Dipper." Mabel thought about complimenting his suit, but instead opted to stand up. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." He turned on his heel. "Come on, I'm taking my car."

Mabel followed, frowning. 'I'm taking my car' was weirdly specific; was that a jab at her? No, she was overthinking it. She opened the door and hopped in as her brother started it up.

The car didn't start moving immediately. Mabel looked over to see her brother gripping the steering wheel, staring out into space. He looked worried, haunted even. The bags under his eyes and the trembling lip reminded Mabel so much of that 12 year old brother she'd had so long ago. Almost instinctively Mabel reached out to comfort him.

Then Dipper flinched away, and gave her a glare for the trouble. The vulnerable expression vanished as he revved the car… a little too much.

"Whoa," Mabel started as the car jolted forwards. "Okay, this isn't to say that you're a bad driver, but maybe I should take us to the funeral? You seem kind of… worked up."

He kept driving.

"Or not." She buckled up. "Just a suggestion."

The rest of the drive was in silence. Mabel stared out of the window as they passed by the town, more than a little sad she hadn't had much time to visit the place she loved as a kid. But that just wasn't possible; her bus tickets were printed for tomorrow and besides, Dipper had already made it clear she was overstaying her welcome.

Maybe just a little trip this evening after the funeral, but nothing more. After she left, would she ever see this place again?

They passed the town and pulled up by a grassy clearing leading into the graveyard. Mabel's heart lodged in her throat; she'd been so preoccupied by Dipper, it was a shock to remember the real reason she'd come.

Stan was dead. She was at his funeral, in the town he'd lived in for so much of his life before he was kicked out and left to die by his-

"You getting out?" Mabel turned to see Dipper had opened her door, awkwardly offering his hand. Mabel didn't take it.

"I can do that on my own, Dipper." She stalked past him, into the graveyard. Chairs were set up facing a podium and a coffin, with some people milling around. One of them – a redheaded woman holding a baby – was staring at her very intently.

"Hi… can I help you?"

"Mabel?" The woman said slowly, and it dawned on her.

"Oh my gosh, Wendy?!"

"It really is you!" Wendy wrapped her in a crushing one-armed hug. "Wow, I almost didn't recognise you without your sweaters! I missed you, dude!"

"I missed you too!" She stepped back, looking at the baby. "He's so cute!"

"This guy? Thanks! He's not mine though, if that's what you're thinking."

"Oh."

"One of my brother's." She looked back up at Mabel, suddenly looking concerned. "So, how're you holding up? Funeral and all."

Mabel's mood deflated. "I'm doing okay. Got my speech… and my mouth. I'm set, right?"

"Haha, you sure are." She sighed. "Man, I missed you; you're literally the only person I know who can lighten the mood at a funeral."

Huh?

"Especially for a guy like Stan. But I guess he'd want us to crack a few jokes, right?"

"Um… I guess." The baby opened its mouth and started bawling.

"Oh, shoot. I gotta take this guy back to his dad, but I'll catch you later, okay?"

Mabel waved. "See you, Wendy!" Once she had gone, she looked around at the other guests. Dipper had already taken a seat near the back with his head bowed, Soos was crying by the coffin – poor Soos, she should go and-"

"Mabel Pines." That voice was familiar… and this time, not in a good way. "Long time no see! My, my, it's such a pleasure to see you again."

She turned to see a man in a suit, his bushy white hair even bigger than his freckled smile. "Gideon. What are you doing here?"

"I'm a public speaker, Mabel. Funerals are my speciality."

"Dipper couldn't hire anyone else?"

"Nope!" Gideon grinned. "Listen, Mabel, I know me and Stan have had our… differences, but I'm a big boy now. I won't let our former rivalry interfere with none of my speeches – just for you, m'lady."

"Ugh, fine." Mabel made to leave, but then grabbed him by the tie and pulled him close. "But I swear, if this doesn't go smoothly because of you, there will be hell to pay. Got it?"

He gulped. "You have my word."

"Good. Now I'm gonna go talk to Soos." She walked off, leaving him to blink and loosen his tie.


	7. Chapter 7

"Alright y'all, time to be seated!" Gideon called from the podium, so Mabel gently led Soos to the front. Wendy sat next to her, giving her a reassuring smile. She smiled back, then faced forwards.

Gideon cleared his throat, and began to speak. "Now, I'm sure y'all know we're gathered here today to celebrate the life of one Stanford Pines. He lived a long life here in Gravity Falls, surrounded by friends and family..."

He continued like that for a while, and Mabel – who found speeches difficult to concentrate on at the best of times – couldn't help but drift off. Her teachers called this disrespectful, but sometimes there was a patch of dead grass right in front of her feet, and how did that get there? Did somebody go overboard with the weed killer? No, that would have left a much bigger spot. Dead grass... weed killer... Idiot, why wasn't she paying attention to Stan's funeral?

She sat bolt upright, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed. No, they were all decent people... even Dipper. Dipper, who was sitting in his own row at the back, staring straight ahead with a scowl.

"-Mabel Pines!" Her attention was drawn to the front at the mention of her name; time to do her eulogy, most likely. With all eyes on her she stood up, fished out her crumpled piece of paper, took a deep breath and walked to the podium.

"Thank you, Gideon, for that wonderful opening speech." Hopefully that wasn't a lie. "Uh, hello! I'm Mabel, Grunkle Stan's great niece, for anyone who doesn't know me."

She folded out her eulogy, and with shaking hands placed it on the stand. "My Grunkle Stan was one of the most amazing people I have ever met, and probably ever will. I saw him in person only three times – once for a whole summer in Gravity Falls, then for a day down in Piedmont and another in Las Vegas - but let me tell you, every one of those were memorable. I mean seriously, I'd love to tell you guys about seeing the dancing fountains and, ahem, winning some card games, but you know what they say: what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!"

That got a few laughs. "But seriously, even though we didn't see each other a whole lot, we kept in touch with letters, a whole load of them! One a week, ever since we first stayed at his home ten years ago. I'd always be really happy to see them; I, I had some tough times in school, b-but..." Mabel stopped, too choked to continue. She looked to the crowd for support; Wendy and Soos gave her teary smiles and thumbs up, and Dipper-

Where was Dipper? Just out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure leaving in the direction of the cars. Did he seriously just leave _Grunkle Stan's_ funeral?

Next to Mabel Gideon cleared his throat, spurring her back into her speech. "but a letter from the greatest uncle in the world was never not enough to cheer me up. He had that way with words, which was probably why he was able to run such a successful business for thirty years before lea- before being kicked out." She snatched her paper off the podium and buried it back in her pocket as a nearby car roared into life. "All in all, my great uncle was a very special person. Grunkle Stan, I hope wherever you are, you're with people who can appreciate that. Thank you."

The clapping as she marched to her seat was all but drowned out by the furious roaring in her ears. She kept sneaking glances back to Dipper's empty seat as Gideon began to speak.

"Thank you very much for that wonderful speech, Mabel. So emotional, I was almost getting a bit choked up myself..."

It was okay. Calm down. Dipper was a certified jerk, but she couldn't let it ruin the funeral. Take deep breaths-

"And now from Stanford's beloved grand nephew, Dipper!" A pause. "Dipper? Huh, I guess he wasn't so beloved after all."

Mabel jumped up. "He's running late. I'm going to go get him; you keep going with the ceremony, Gideon." A pause. "And by the way, his name's Stanley."

She strode to the road, and – seeing Dipper's car already gone – broke into a white van with Gideon's face plastered onto the side and hotwired it. Once it was up and guttering, she slammed the door, stomped the accelerator and roared off.

This was a bad idea, one little part of Mabel's mind that wasn't seeing red thought. This wasn't going to end well for either of them. But damn it, she didn't care. She'd tried to be nice. She'd tried not to blame him. But walking out on Stan's funeral was the last straw.

"Hey, moron!" Mabel let loose at a car going at the speed limit. "Time to use that thing called an accelerator!"

Then she swerved around him and barrelled down a side path with the sign 'Private – Keep Out'. She pulled up right against the ex-Mystery Shack, and left the engine running while she made for the gift shop.

Dipper was sitting at his desk, reading something. He jumped out of his skin when his sister threw the door open.

"Mabel!" He wiped his eyes and quickly stashed the paper in a side drawer. "The funeral isn't over, is it?"

Mabel shook her head. "No, it's not over. You left right in the middle of it."

"Mabel, you didn't have to come get me!" He stood up, reddening. "I just-"

"Just what, Dipper? You didn't want to deal with Grunkle Stan? Just wanted to hole yourself up here and enjoy his house?"

"...Wait, what?"

"I've tried to be nice, okay? I came here, all happy to see you, trying to be friends again. But you know what, I think I'm done! This is all on you, Dipper!"

"On me?" He frowned. "You were the one who stopped talking to-"

" _Shut the fuck up_!" Mabel snapped, and his mouth clamped shut. "You were the one who didn't talk to me, okay. You were the one who left Grunkle Stan's funeral. Heck, you and Ford are the reason he's dead in the first place!"

Dipper paled. "Wh-what?"

"If you hadn't taken that apprenticeship, none of this would have happened! This is your fault!"

"Stop saying that!"

"No, I won't!"

He covered his ears, squeezing his eyes shut. "Please, stop it, Mabel..."

And Mabel did stop, for a second. She took a deep breath and continued in a more level tone. "Okay, fine. You want me to stop? I'll stop. I'll go get my bags, rent a room for tonight, get on the bus and never bother you again, if that's what you want." She stepped closer. "But you gotta say it to me, Dipper."

He looked up. "What?"

"You invited me to Gravity Falls. You invited me to stay at this house. I can't help but think that just maybe, you also wanted to be friends again." Her face hardened. "Tell me that's not true. Tell me you want me to leave, and we can both just move on with our lives."

"I'm not going to do that!"

"Yes or no, Dipper!"

"I don't want to..." He backed off. "I'm going to my lab."

She grabbed his arm. "Oh, no you're not!"

"Let me go!"

"You're not running away this time, okay? Yes or no?"

"Stop it, Mabel!"

"Just give me an answer!"

" _No_!" Dipper shoved his sister, and she stumbled back, arms flailing, and smashed her head onto the glass orb containing the Rift. The last thing she saw was her brother's horrified face staring down at her amid falling shards of glass... and everything faded to black.


	8. Chapter 8

"Mabel."

"Urgggghhhhh..." She groaned, holding her head. "Just five more... five... what's this... cloth thing?"

"Mabel?"

"Oh... hi Dipper." She frowned, recent events flooding back into her mind. Without the adrenaline pumping through her veins, it came with a flush of shame. "Oh. Hi, Dipper. What time is it?"

Dipper looked away; she noticed they were on a bed. Ford's bed, specifically. "It's been a few hours since I knocked you out. Patched you up as best I could."

"Gee, you couldn't afford to take me to a hospital or something?"

"Well, I would, but we're now living in the middle of the apocalypse."

"The what?" Mabel sat up, cringed at the pain, and looked outside. From what she could see the sky was red, the trees were on fire and... was that a centaurtaur? "How did that happen?"

"The glass container I broke, Ford called the thing inside the Rift. It was created when Grunkle Stan opened the portal to save him, and if it was ever released – which it was – Bill Cipher could escape though and cause the end of the world."

"Bill." Mabel's eyes narrowed. "So you're saying, we caused the Billpocalypse."

"Bill called it Weirdmaggeddon."

"Whatever. We've beaten him before, we can do it again, right?"

"I'm not so sure. There is one way, but... I wanted to tell you something before I attempted it." He took a deep breath. "And it's... I'm sorry, Mabel. I'm so, so sorry."

Mabel nodded. "I'm sorry too. I've been a jerk to you. I told you you killed Grunkle Stan! And you loved Grunkle Stan!"

"Yeah... I did. A lot. But I didn't say anything when Great Uncle Ford kicked him out, did I? And then I cut you off completely; I-I ignored you, I wasn't there when you needed me, and-"

"Hey, hey," Mabel placed a hand on his knee. "It's okay."

"No, it's not! Look, I appreciate you trying to humour me, but I know you don't really think it's okay. You made that pretty clear last night."

She said nothing.

"Anyway, I've said what I wanted to say." He stood up, hoisting – a backpack? No, a really large gun – over his shoulder. "Goodbye, Mabel. Despite everything, it-it was really nice to see you again."

"Where are you going?"

"To defeat Bill. Or, at least try. Ford never got to test this thing against an actual demon." Dipper looked up. "And... where are you going?"

Mabel had sat forward, and was pulling the sheets off of her legs. "I'm coming with you!"  
"No, you're not. You still have glass shards in your head."

"Yeah, so... maybe I could headbutt Bill to death!"

Dipper couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I wish it was that easy, Mabel."

"I'm serious! Not about the headbutting so much – I mean, unless the opportunity presented itself – but you can't go alone to fight Bill!" She stood up, grinning. "Mystery Twins, remember? We got each... each other's..."

"Mabel?" Dipper caught his sister as she pitched forward, head swimming. "Whoa, I got you. Just stay in bed, okay?"

"I need to... come, I need to come with you..."

"No, you need to stay here and rest. When you get up, there's some pancakes in the fridge, and some rations in the basement." He made a face. "Those are pretty old, though. I wouldn't eat them unless... well, unless I don't come back."

"But... Mystery Twins!"

Dipper shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "No, not anymore."

Through blurry eyes, Mabel watched her brother leave the room. The front door opened, and shut, and then all was silent. She tried once more to get up but failed, dizziness and pain getting the best of her.

Mabel lay back on her pillow, looking up at the ceiling, feeling so, so tired...

* * *

Mabel woke up to the sound of her stomach growling. She sat up, just the faintest tingle of pain accompanying it. "Dipper?"

Silence.

A deep, dark red light permeated through the window, casting black shadows on the walls. The door was ajar, at the far end of the room.

Her stomach growled again, and Mabel stood up. A wave of dizziness overtook her and she leaned against the wall for support, but after a moment that passed and she started walking forward.

"Dipper, you there?"

A scream came from outside. Mabel looked through the window, but all she could see was a world on fire.

What happened to everybody?

She made it to the kitchen, and flipped on a switch. When nothing happened, she opened the fridge and instantly regretted it.

"Ugh, gross! It smells like someone died in there!" A dead rat the size of a football was sitting in one of the drawers. "What do you know, something did die in here! Gross."

She tried turning on the stove. Nothing and no one answered her. "Well, I guess I really am alone. I really... am alone."

A tear ran down Mabel's face, and she sank down until she was leaning against the base of the fridge, head resting on her arms as she sobbed. It wasn't fair; she'd come to Gravity Falls to fix things, not break them! Now thanks to her, Bill was unleashed, Dipper was missing and Grunkle Stan... she just hoped they'd managed to bury him before the apocalypse set in.

It was the least they could do, seeing as none of his family even stayed for the funeral. They were too busy being caught up in petty fights, in grudges held for too many years, and now it was too late. They'd driven each other away, and now they were all alone.

Mabel drew her knees in tighter. "Grunkle Stan... I'm so sorry. I miss you... so much, I-I just wish you were here..." She took in a deep, shuddering breath. "But you're not! And you're never ever gonna b-be here again-"

A low roar rolled in from outside, shaking the very foundations. Mabel wiped her eyes and peeked over the counter, then squeaked in terror at the gigantic, many-limbed creature from hell charging straight for the house. She ducked under the cupboards again (like that would have offered any protection) and braced for impact. When nothing came, and the roar faded into a couple confused grunts, Mabel stood for another look.

The creature had come up against some sort of blue barrier inscribed with runes. Try as it might, no amount of beatings and bellowing seemed to damage it in the slightest.

"Huh?" Mabel frowned in confusion, then it struck her. "They Billproofed the Shack! Back with the unicorn hair and the moonstone – clever!"

She continued to watch as the creature raged against the barrier, now much less terrified. It was putting in a valiant effort, eventually being driven away by a couple arrows to the side.

"Wait, arrows?" Mabel watched as two figures – reduced to silhouettes in the red light – appeared from behind trees and made their way towards the Shack, unaffected by the barrier. That means they're not with Bill, right?

Still, Mabel ducked behind the counter again as they approached. The door opened, and all her worries vanished the moment she heard their voices.

"-was close, dawg! I didn't think we were gonna make it!"

"Yeah, that was crazy. We are never going to the lake again, Soos."

"Soos? Wendy?" Mabel stood up, causing both of them to look at her in surprise. "You're here?"

"You're awake!" Wendy grinned. "I was wondering when you were gonna get up, Sleeping Beauty!"


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey Pumpkin,_

 _They're holding you back in math? I'm sorry, that must feel terrible. Don't get too hung up on it, though; all that math stuff is useless. All I ever needed were some basic sums and I got along fine in life. You've got so many other talents, kid, you'll go far whether or not you can find x or make a graph for how many percentages are in a pie chart or whatever else they teach you._

 _Besides, I don't know if I say this enough, but you mean a lot to me. Sometimes your letters are the only thing keeping me going._

 _Grunkle Stan_

Mabel sat in the twin room, tracing her fingers over the paper. "Thanks, Grunkle Stan. Though, I've got bigger troubles than math this time round." She looked out of the window, red light streaming through and washing everything in the bloody colour. "I wonder what you'd say about this."

"Hambone?" She jumped at the sound of Soos' voice. "Can you come down here for a second?"

"Why?"

"I gotta show you something! It's really awesome!"

"Coming, Soos!" Mabel stuffed the letter in her pocket and stood up, but frowned as she felt something snap under her feet. "What was that, the floorboards? I didn't think I was that heavy, ha!"

She lifted up her foot, and blinked. "Are those... my old knitting needles? I must've left them behind that summer."

Bending down, she picked them up and gently turned them around in her hands. They were still in good condition; the tip of one was hanging loose from where she'd stepped on it, but it was nothing a bit of carefully placed duct tape couldn't fix.

"Man, you guys must've knitted a lot of sweaters." Mabel smiled. "That was fun. I bet I could pick it up again, if only we had some thread..."

"Mabel, you coming?"

"Oh, yeah! Just a second!" She set the needles down on her bed – the apocalypse was no time to start knitting – and dashed down the stairs. "What is it, Soos? Where's Wendy?"

"Looking for survivors. It's, it's pretty empty out there!" Soos laughed nervously. "That wasn't funny. Anyway, check this out!"

He flipped a switch, and the lights came on. Mabel's eyes widened as, for the first time in days, the room was lit up by something other than an ominous red glow. "Wow! How'd you do that, Soos?"

"I did some tinkering with the generator in the back. It'S not much, but we can use the fridge again! No more rotting meat for us dudes!"

"You are the coolest guy I know, Soos! Here, have a sticker!" Mabel drew a sheet from her pocket, but with it came Stan's letter.

"You dropped something, hambone. Here," Soos picked it up. "Some empty sheet of stickers?"

Mabel snatched it back. "No, don't throw it away!"

"What is it?"

"It's, um... It's an important letter... to me. It's from Grunkle Stan."

"From Mr Pines?"

"Yeah. We used to send each other a lot of these."

Soos snapped his fingers. "Oh, yeah! You were saying that in your speech!"

"Right! And, well, I've kept all of them. Most of them are at home, and Mom and Dad are always on my back about getting rid of them." She smiled a little. "Never gonna happen."

"I tried sending him stuff too, but his address kept changing. How did you and Dipper keep in touch?"

"Well, I had to-" Mabel stopped. "Wait, Dipper sent letters to Grunkle Stan?"

"Yeah! At least, I think so; he told me about it back when Mr Pines first left." Soos scratched his head. "You okay, hambone?"

"I asked Grunkle Stan if Dipper was talking to him. He said no!" Mabel frowned. "Why would Grunkle Stan lie about something like that? Maybe… wait, I know!"

She dashed off to the gift shop, leaving a very confused Soos to keep working on the fridge. The desk was still there, with the shattered Rift and the drawers, so many drawers! Mabel opened one at random to find it filled to the brim with papers on some sciency stuff. Another was home to a dusty copy of Dungeons, Dungeons & More Dungeons.

Typical Dipper, Mabel thought as she closed the drawer. She kept searching, until she stumbled across it: a whole drawer of letters, addressed to Grunkle Stan. Judging by the lack of addresses and missing stamps, none of them had reached their intended recipient.

First she breathed out a sigh of relief; Grunkle Stan didn't lie to her. Then she picked up one of the ones on the top, and gently opened it.

Mabel began to read.

 _Dear Grunkle Stan,_

 _Things are falling apart without you. I thought I could just get through the funeral, but Stanford's gone on his 'research trip' and I can't even be in the same room as my sister without putting my foot in my mouth. She still can't stand me, I know it._

 _How did everything go so wrong?_

 _Dipper_

Mabel made a face. Did he really think she couldn't stand him? She opened another letter.

 _Dear Grunkle Stan,_

 _It's happened. Everything I've feared the most has come true; the Rift is broken, Bill has gained a physical form, and Ford isn't here to help control this. It's all up to me. At least the house is still safe, and_ _Mabel is alright- no,_ _Mabel probably has a concussion, and there's nothing I can do to help because hospitals don't exist anymore! And it's all my fault; I pushed her onto the Rift. I didn't talk to her for ten years. I let you die. Every word Mabel said to me was absolutely right, and I gave her a head injury for the trouble._

 _I see it all so clearly now. I know what I have to do. Taking down Bill is a suicide mission, but maybe that's for the best. I'll wait until Mabel wakes up before going; I have a few things I need to say to her. It's too late to say sorry, I know this, but she's the only one left I can say sorry to anymore. I just hope she wakes up soon._

 _Goodbye._

Mabel put the letter away and closed the drawer; this felt too much like reading a diary. Too personal, too private, too... sad. She wanted to give her brother a hug, but she didn't even know where he was. For all she knew, it was too late.

"Hey, hambone?" Soos leaned into the room. "Did you find those letters?"

Mabel jumped up. "No! No, sorry, he must've... not, written them."

"Aww, that's too bad."

"It's alright." She brushed herself off. "We're gonna go rescue him anyway, right?"

"That's the plan, dawg!"

"Yep!" Mabel turned and looked outside. "We just need to come up with a plan, and we'll get you back, Dipper."

Soos stood behind her. "Yeah… wait, why are we talking to the window?"


End file.
